


Phone Number

by TeaRoses



Category: The Handmaid's Tale (TV)
Genre: F/F, Mention of Canon Death, Short Ficlet, mention of Moira/OFC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-19
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-08-25 18:21:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16665865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeaRoses/pseuds/TeaRoses
Summary: In her mind, Moira still holds Odette close to her.  Written for the femslashficlets "language of flowers" challenge for the prompt "narcissus."





	Phone Number

**Author's Note:**

> A single narcissus can symbolize misfortune.

Moira has a phone number in her pocket. The woman scribbled it down on a piece of paper, like in the old days, saying that Moira might look through her pockets and remember to call her. Moira usually doesn't take phone numbers, because she knows she isn't going to use them, but this woman made Moira laugh and that's worth something. Moira still isn't going to call her. The last thing she needs is someone else to care about. 

She walks slowly through the snow and remembers Odette. Odette was good at making Moira laugh. Sometimes she would tell stories about her college days and pranks she had played on the other students. She liked to cook, and would call the pots and pans filthy curse words when they didn't obey her commands. In the winter she loved snowball fights, and Moira was always afraid to turn her back on her when they were outside together.

Before she met Odette Moira didn't realize how much she loved the small things - cuddling and touches and old jokes that couples tell a thousand times. When she first found out about Odette's death she had imagined what their wedding could have been like, how they would have dressed and whether they would write their own vows. But now she wishes she could just have another breakfast, with Odette putting too much syrup on her pancakes and interrupting the conversation every five minutes to answer a text from the hospital.

Now and then Odette had had a story about a new baby, one that was born healthy and crying, and the happy parents. But that was rare. Odette hadn't delivered many babies, and most were stillborn or lived only a few hours. It wasn't what she had signed up for, not that she would put it that way, and she would only talk about the pain to Moira. Moira learned to be a good comforter living with Odette. Now she needs to know how to comfort herself and she is just not sure. Is there a way to start over? She doesn't think so. Starting over would mean putting Odette behind her and that can never happen. 

But maybe there is a way to go on. This woman looks nothing like Odette, and she may not even eat pancakes and she might hate to cook. But maybe she can make Moira laugh again, and someday Moira will learn new jokes and throw new snowballs. Along with the pain she will always carry for her fiancée she can carry a little happiness too.

Moira isn't sure she can make herself call her, but she'll hold on to the phone number at least one more day.


End file.
